MUSICIANS AND COMPOSERS

Otago Witness, Issue 2734, 8 August 1906, Page 75

MUSICIANS AND COMPOSERS

Opera-goers, oratorio lovers, and musicians generally will regret to learn of the death of Madame Lemmens-SherringtOH, the eminent soprano, which took place at Brussels. The deceased was an Englishwoman, born in Preston in 1834, and came of a musical family. In the April of 1856 she made her first appearance m London, and in 1857 married the late Chevalier Nkhola6 Lemmens, whcee name and fame aic inseparably connected with the mustei oigan. Grieg is a rlemociat emongst composers (says the Academy) in the sense that his music is what the average amateur both can play and oares to play. Unlike the grea.t claseies he has no thought too high for average comprehension, while like them he expresses himself instead of deputing the task to his interpreters. It has always to be borne in mind that, the capacity of the average libtener is far in advance of that of the average performer. The amateur, especially the lady amateur, loves to play Chopin, ljut the amateur listener does not 10-\e to hear her performance. But with Grieg the one is much better able to satisfy the other; granted the necessary technical ability to play the notes (in his shorter pieces his technique is so well suited to the instrument that this implies no very high standard), and sufficient musical appreciation to understand him, his music can be gracefully played without great refinement of tone in either player or instrument.

"Tfos Dream of Gerontius" is antipathetip to the temperament of some poople, while to others — amongst whom is the present writer— it is one of the most remarkaole achievements in all mueic, and one that cannot dio so long as men's souls are vexed by problems of life and death, and keen to cc in what a magic atmosphere genius can enshrine them. The work is not didactic, but philosophical — and above all, it is art ; the thought ie all embraced by beaufy, warmed and quickened by its touch. To call it neurotic, as some have done, is only to inissuse that term. Nervous it may be, for it is dealing with a theme rhat must needs draw out the finest threads of •sensation in our nerve* — but not neurotic. Music like much of that of Debussy may .be called neurotic, wherein the intellect plays so little part, while the n^rrcs are juet whipped or soddened by floods of tone of which tho main clement is the merely sejibiioutj. But in " Gerontius" nowheie Jo the nerves either create or seek sensations on their own account. The effects n.ay be piercing, shattering, but they are mental effects, born of the pJay of the br.iin uton the circumstances of life — Ki-nest Newman's appreciation of Sir Edward Elgar, in "Music of the Masters." famous Sheffield choir paid one of thi^ir rare visits to London on Monday, May 14 when ih<?y gave a concert at Queen's Hal, under the auspices of the Tonic 001-fa Colloge. Presided oyer by their trainer and tonductor, Dr Coward, they saiii with amazing power and _ brilliant o through a long programme, which included marly diverse style 6of choral works, I'loin Handel to Elgar. To Londoners, uccustor icd to indifferent choral singing, the rieliiH;^ of tone, ite sonority- and volume, and the complete command of every shade of exprosiion which the choir possesses were a ret elation of the possibilities of choral art. In/ the earliest part of the evening the choir sang various short picoue — Macfarren's charming part Bong, "You stole nr.y love," which was given with much brilliance, a similar arcrnark applying to El^ar's "Tbo Dance," whilst there was a fire <!.^plav of soft refined tone in "O gladsome light.*' Subsequently Cowen's "John GiJpin" was sung with delightful omphaeis of its humorous passages, and the performance of the "Sanctus" from Bach's great B minor Mass hab « fine example of

* choral virtuosity. The tone at times was stupendous in its volume. A chorus from Welford Davies'e "TSvery Man," and excerpts from "Elijah" and "The Messiah" were aJso splendidly sung. Miss Eeanor Coward tang several songs, disnlaying mucn iharm of vocalisation. Verdi has been called the " Cigno di Bueseto," or Swan of Buseeto; so, owing to this, niany people are under the impression that Busseto is his native town. The celebrated musician was, however, born October 10, 1813, in a village called Rinoolo, near Busseto, where he went to . schooh This village is a small, poverty'-«trickea hole, oontaining but a few hundred people, while Busseto, a pleasant little town, has some three or four thousand inhabitants. Verdi's parents kept a little inn in the only street Rracolo c*n boast of, where they had also a. store for groceries and liqueurs. On his way to school young Verdi Bad to pass by the dwelling of a family who were continually playing the piano, and he used often to stand for hours under the windows attentively listening to the music. The owner of the house, struck with the boy's behaviour, called hini in one day, inquired of him who he was, and asked him why. ho used to linger co long in front of their dwelling. Verdi told pignor Bsurezsi that music was his greatest delight, and that his uncle, the organist of their village churob, was giving him lessons. Barezri kindly expressing a wish to hear him, Verdi safe down to the piano* ", and executed a few - email pieces, and this decided his ' future fate. He had found a patron, who put him at once to school in Busseto, leaving his uncle sufficient time to- perform hi» duties as organist of Rincolo — Verdi wai then only 11 years old, — and * few years . later he was eevt to the Conservatoire in Milan to ~ complete his . studies.— From " Marchesi and Music (Harper and Bros.). memoirs, by the mother of Blanche Marchesi, the well-known singing teacher. We are no longer dependent en foreign artists (writes Joseph Hatton in "Cigarette Papers"), though London, being the richest city in the world, attracts the best of the=e from every country. The great orchestras — the old Philharmonic, which has done so much, the famous Queen's Hall Orchestra, the liondon Symphony, the Crystal Palace, the New Symphony Concert Society, this latter largely composed of amateurs — are manned as a rnlo br English instrumentalists, and have English conductors. New English soloists — pianists, violinists — are heard of every month, and many of them are in the first rank of promise. i A wonderful school of yowig pianists, connected with the Royal Academy .of Music, has been founded by Mr Tobias Matthay, as Manuel Garcia, who died the other day, gave us a great school of English vocalists.; and the names of its likeliest aspirants, York Bowen, Felix Swinstead, Gertrude Peppercorn, and «thers, are known before they -make a definite debut. Under Sir Hubert Parry, most genial and inspiring of principals, the Royal College of Mveio , at South Kensington is a teeming hive of enthusiastic culture, turning out innumerable players and singers capable of real artistry. I doubt if thqre is a warmer college life anywhere, whether musical or omy other. One's glimpses of it -at "'the wonderful college concerts are delightful. • And as to the effect of this on the musical profession, it is not so much the frequent appearance of new "stars" that impresses one as to hear, in the clubs and in drawing rooms, so many exquisite performers , who6e names are little known. We are at a. very high gen-oral level of musical culture. It is generously recognised abroad. In France and Germany, where our splendid choirs from Yorkshire and from Wales are welcomed so sincerely, the magnanimous verdict is that those countries have nothing quite so good in the way of choral singing. N